Transcription

1 6 EconSouth First Quarter 2011

2 Cap in Hand: The High Price of Higher Education A college degree has become an indispensable credential in today s workforce. But with the cost of postsecondary education soaring, a degree is also slipping out of reach for more people. What s behind tuition inflation, and can its trajectory be altered? The price of higher education started soaring decades ago. A 1997 Time magazine article, Why Colleges Cost Too Much, reported that after a lengthy period of stability, tuition increased at a rate twice that of the overall cost of living between 1977 and Since going through the roof in the 90s, the cost of higher education has continued spiraling upward. In the decade from to , tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities increased at an average rate of 5.6 percent per year above the rate of general inflation, according to Trends in College Pricing 2010, published by the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center, a nonprofit association of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. For the current school year, the price tag varies based on a student s specific arrangement and geographic location, according to College Board figures. At the high end of the spectrum, students living on campus at private four-year colleges and universities faced a national average of $27,000 for tuition and fees with an additional $9,700 for room and board. Add in books (another soaring expense) and other fees, and the total surpasses $40,000 for the year. Students living on campus at public four-year schools spent an average of $7,600 for in-state tuition and fees and $8,535 on room and board (and more on books and supplies), incurring an overall annual expense averaging slightly more than $20,000. At the other end of the spectrum, students attending two-year schools averaged $2,700 for tuition and fees, $7,300 for room and board, and more than $14,000 for total expenses. Students at four-year schools in the Southeast had it a little better financially than students in other regions. Students with in-state residency paid an average of $2,000 below the national average for public school tuition, fees, and room and board, while students at private schools paid almost $5,000 below the national average for the same expenses. Students at the Southeast s two-year colleges received no geographical benefit, as the region s prices mirrored national averages. At some point, rising prices typically reach a threshold at which demand is reduced. With higher education, that reduction has yet to occur. However, as prices continue to rise, students and educators alike are looking for ways to ensure the affordability of higher education. This quest may significantly reshape the landscape of higher education. frbatlanta.org 7

3 Table 1 Debt levels of college seniors in the Southeast in 2009 State Average debt (in dollars) Rank among states Percentage of graduates with debt Rank among states Georgia 16, Louisiana 19, Tennessee 20, Florida 20, Mississippi 22, Alabama 24, Note: The U.S. average is $24,000. Source: Project on Student Debt, Student Debt and the Class of 2009 Demand stronger than ever So far, the rising price of higher education hasn t scared away the students or parents. In the decade spanning the and the academic years, the number of full-time and part-time students in the United States rose from 15.3 million to 19.1 million, a whopping 25 percent increase, according to the Digest of Education Statistics. Accompanying this influx of college students is a rise in the percentage of Americans with degrees. In the College Board s Education Pays 2010 report, the percentage of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 with a fouryear college degree grew from 29 percent in 2000 to 32 percent in 2009, after having hovered around 24 percent through the 1980s. In many cases, incoming students do not have cash on hand to fund the escalating tuition price tag, leading them to turn to grants and federal tax benefits for help. The College Board reports that the average of grant aid and federal tax benefits per student for the school year is $6,100 at public four-year schools, $16,000 at private nonprofit four-year schools, and $3,400 at public two-year colleges. Two-thirds of students at four-year schools, public and private, currently receive grant aid. However, for many Americans, their increasing appetite for higher education (fueled in part by the recent recession) has led them to bite off ever-larger amounts of debt. Last August, the Wall Street Journal, quoting figures from the Federal Reserve, FinAid. org, and FastWeb.com, reported that for the first time ever Americans owed more on outstanding student loans ($ billion) than revolving credit ($826.5 billion). That pinnacle was reached after the sustained upward trajectory of student debt became apparent. In 2004, graduating college seniors carried an average debt of $18,650, but by 2009, this figure had risen to $23,200, according to the Project on Student Debt by the Institute for College Access & Success. This rise reflects an annual growth rate of 6 percent per year, slightly more than the growth rate of tuition and fees during that same span (5.6 percent). In the Southeast, graduating Table 2 Educational attainment and annual income Degree attained Average annual income (in dollars) Professional degree 100,000 Doctoral degree 91,900 Master s degree 67,300 Bachelor s degree 55,700 Associate degree 42,000 Some college, no degree 39,700 High school graduate 33,800 Not a high school graduate 24,300 Source: The College Board seniors in all but one state fared better than the national average (see table 1). Two factors are behind the greater tuition affordability in the region. One is that the Southeast lacks the concentration of higher-priced private institutions found along the Eastern Seaboard and the Northeast. Additionally, state-sponsored meritbased scholarships help students across all economic strata in the region. Sandy Baum, an independent higher education policy analyst at the College Board who specializes in college pricing and student aid, estimates approximately one in four states has state-sponsored, merit-based scholarships (usually funded by lottery earnings). However, every southeastern state except Alabama has this type of program. Return on investment remains strong So what is it that sends so many students (and parents) headlong into this educational spending spree? In most cases, a payoff 8 EconSouth First Quarter 2011

4 down the road is the allure. Recent statistics make a case that the benefits of higher education are more important now than ever. In the College Board s Education Pays 2010 report, annual earnings are compared to the level of education attained (see table 2). The relationship is clear: more education, more income. But enhanced earning power is only part of the story. The other part concerns the widening gap between those with a bachelor s degree and above and those without a bachelor s degree. The Education Pays 2010 report noted that between 1998 and 2008, women with a bachelor s degree or higher made 60 percent more than women with high school diplomas did in 1998, but by 2008 the higher-educated women earned 79 percent more, a 19-percentage-point increase. For men in the same age group, those with bachelor s degrees or higher made 54 percent more than did males with high school diplomas in 1998, a gap that widened to 74 percent more by 2008, a 20-percentage-point increase. Also, even though the up-front debt may be daunting, the Education Pays 2010 report found that, 11 years after graduation, the average four-year public university graduate s higher earning power made up for being removed from the labor force for four years and for student loans, at 6.8 percent interest. After that period, the graduate is economically ahead of where he or she would have been without a degree. College students of the future can expect an evolving educational environment with many things changing except the incessantly rising prices. Is everybody a winner? But while the benefits of higher education for the individual appear undeniable, an emerging school of thought contends that the high return on investment may not apply to everybody. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, just seven of the 30 jobs expected to grow at the fastest rate in the next 10 years in the United States will require a college degree. It is true that we need more nanosurgeons than we did 10 to 15 years ago, Richard Vedder, professor of economic history and public policy at Ohio University and founder of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, told the New York Times in May But the numbers are still relatively small compared to the numbers of nurses aides we re going to need. We will need hundreds of thousands of them over the next decade, adding that those aides could receive their training outside the traditional college setting. Vedder s position raises the question of whether colleges are preparing graduates with the right skills. Rolando Montoya, provost of Miami Dade College, believes colleges are and that they can also take steps to make graduates even more ready for the labor force. Most of the unemployment among recent college graduates is due to the struggling economy, Montoya said. He added that since data indicate that college graduates historically have fared better in the job market, colleges can enhance graduates odds by reducing the time it takes to graduate and emphasizing instruction in high-demand fields. What does the future hold? College students of the future can expect an evolving educational environment with many things changing except the incessantly rising prices. Future costs. The College Board s Baum says there s no reason to think pricing trends for education will change. It s going to keep going up faster than inflation, Baum said, adding that schools devote ever-larger portions of revenue to staff salaries. Certainly there s more we can do to increase productivity, but productivity is never going to go up the way it does in industries where new technology and new production methods emerge, he said. The labor [in higher education] is primarily highly educated, highly skilled. The wages for this type labor have gone up faster than for low skilled labor. In addition to the rise in labor costs, colleges may be forced to charge more as cash-strapped state governments reduce appropriations for higher education. For the school year, the College Board s Trends in College Pricing 2010 report showed that government appropriations per full-time equivalent (FTE) student averaged 19 percent lower than a decade earlier, after adjusting for inflation. State appropriations per FTE student dipped 5 percent for the school year after a larger dip, 9 percent, in Montoya said Miami Dade College s tuition could have risen even more had it not pursued cost-cutting measures. We cannot operate at a deficit, Montoya said. A lot of institutions, including ours, are relying more on adjunct faculty, part-time faculty. To teach a class with an adjunct faculty is a lot cheaper. He pointed out another area that has undergone reduction: administrative services, such as managers and clerical staff. Also, increasing numbers of schools are cutting costs by outsourcing services such as security officers and custodians, allowing schools to eliminate expenses associated with health care benefits and paid vacations. Changing of the guard? The economy will likely affect higher education in terms of the mix of schools. Baum has some ideas about who the winners and losers will be. She foresees the winners being the schools that cater to nondegreed people who have realized that they need a degree to compete effectively in the job market. The people on that margin are much more likely to get a vocational education, to go to a for-profit or community college, she said. There will be more and more opportunities for people to need those kinds of labor market credentials. So there s going to be more growth in those areas for that reason. Baum predicts the losers will come from the private sector of higher education, but only from a certain group. The schools frbatlanta.org 9

5 at the top the Ivy League schools, Duke, Stanford, etc. they re doing just fine, thank you, she said. They have long waiting lists of people able and willing to pay the price. She takes the position that those top-tier institutions should increase their enrollment. But at the other end of the spectrum, you ve got hundreds of small private colleges, regional colleges, that are not selective at all and are really struggling, financially on the brink, she said. They have trouble enrolling full classes. We will see some of those institutions cease to exist because they have a really high cost model and not enough resources to be really innovative. They are going to have to do something very different because they don t have an easy time differentiating what they offer from what you can get more cheaply. The perilous outlook for smaller private schools was also the topic of Will Higher Education Be the Next Bubble to Burst? by Joseph Marr Cronin and Howard E. Horton in the May 22, 2009, edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education. The rise of technology and distance learning. With faculty salaries constituting a major part of a college s budget, many schools are exploring technological innovations for help with budget reductions. One of the reasons we are able to reduce personnel both at the instructional level and the administrative level is because we are acquiring more technology, Montoya said of Miami Dade College. You can see Still in its relative infancy, online instruction holds the possibility of providing a more affordable educational opportunity than traditional instruction, but the method is still establishing its foothold in the marketplace. the shift in the composition of our expenses. There was a time when our overall human resources accounted for close to 85 percent of our expenditures. Now it has declined to about 75 percent. Montoya said his school has also been able to conserve salaries by hiring adjunct faculty with the accompanying lower salaries in addition to incorporating more technology. He added the caveat that greater reliance on technology is not without its own attendant costs: We need more equipment. We need more software licenses, and we also need the specialized technicians to manage all of that. One use of technology has been the ongoing shift to distance learning. More than 5.6 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2009 term, according to the Online Education in the United States, 2010: Class Differences report by the United States Distance Learning Association. The report also notes that the total represented an increase of nearly 1 million students over the previous year, a 21 percent growth rate. The report also noted that nearly 30 percent of higher education students now take at least one course online. At Miami Dade, Montoya notes that the growth of enrollment for online education is about three to four times higher than the growth of more traditional face-to-face offerings. Despite these advances, Baum thinks distance learning is still finding its footing in the education marketplace. To date, it hasn t saved money, she said. Right now, it actually ends up costing more, adding that some institutions charge more tuition for online learning. But she also cited some noteworthy innovations in distance learning. Carnegie Mellon has great experiments going on, focusing mostly on statistics but also broadening into other areas, she said. Students learn more and learn more quickly. Baum said when schools across the country gain economies of scale from pooling their online-instruction assets (such as curricula and syllabi), the savings will be significant. Certainly, there is potential for increasing productivity, she said. I m sure it will happen. Schools innovate their instruction methods, adopt cost-saving technologies, and hire cheaper faculties, but college costs have only continued soaring. Even as schools equip students with the skills required to compete effectively in the job market, students can t escape the financial bottom line. The country s brightest minds either haven t been able to solve the problem or haven t had the inclination. Perhaps one of the country s 20 million college students will find the answer. This article was written by Ed English, a staff writer for EconSouth. 10 EconSouth First Quarter 2011

Trends in Higher Education Series College Board Advocacy & Policy Center Analysis Brief March 2013 How Students and Parents Pay for College Kathleen Payea Policy Analyst, The College Board Sandy Baum Senior

Dēmos Wisconsin's Great Cost Shift HOW HIGHER EDUCATION CUTS UNDERMINE THE STATE'S FUTURE MIDDLE CLASS I n today s economy, a college education is essential for getting a good job and entering the middle

Fast Facts on Education in America updated december 2010 The climate of postsecondary education in America has changed dramatically since Scholarship America s inception 50 years ago. Access to college

Trends in Higher Education Series Trends in College Pricing 2006 Introduction This report, based on the College Board s Annual Survey of Colleges, provides up-to-date information on tuition and other expenses

Policy Brief Making a Case for Need-based Financial Aid in Georgia By Cedric D. Johnson, Policy Analyst Introduction As a member state of Complete College America, Georgia reports that by 2020 an estimated

LUMINA ISSUE PAPERS COLLEGE COSTS AND PRICES: SOME KEY FACTS FOR POLICYMAKERS by Nate Johnson Postsecondary Analytics Tuition is rising, more students are in debt and at higher levels than ever before,

Virginia s Great Cost Shift How Higher Education Cuts Undermine the State s Future Middle Class robert hiltonsmith & mark huelsman In today s economy, a college education is essential for getting a good

New Jersey s Great Cost Shift How Higher Education Cuts Undermine the State s Future Middle Class robert hiltonsmith & mark huelsman In today s economy, a college education is essential for getting a good

Testimony before the Ohio Senate Finance Higher Education Subcommittee May 19, 2015 Dr. David T. Harrison, President Columbus State Community College Chairman Gardner, Vice Chair Cafaro, and members of

Fact Sheet: College Costs s to the most frequently asked questions about public higher education 1 Is tuition at public four-year universities really affordable? Regional Variation in Tuition and Fee Sticker

Women s Participation in Education and the Workforce Council of Economic Advisers Updated October 14, 214 Executive Summary Over the past forty years, women have made substantial gains in the workforce

HAS THE RETURN TO INVESTING IN A COLLEGE EDUCATION DECLINED? December 2013 Kent Hill, Ph.D. Research Professor, Department of Economics; and Principal Research Economist, L. William Seidman Research Institute

By Scott Niederjohn Education as Human Capital Investment takes many forms. One form is the development of human capital the knowledge, skills, health, and values that individuals possess. People develop

Florida s Great Cost Shift: How Higher Education Cuts Undermine Its Future Middle Class J ust as a postsecondary education has become essential for getting a decent job and entering the middle class, it

Florida Prepaid College Plans Enrollment Guide 2013-2014 Save today for their tomorrow. No matter where life takes your child in the future, or what career he/she may choose, a college education is the

Is Student Loan Debt The Next Financial Crisis? Tim Parker, provided by San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday, February 22, 2012 There's no doubt that we're all still a little sensitive when it comes to the

Lifetime Value of a College Degree February 23, 2006 Utah Foundation s December 2005 report entitled What is a college degree worth? found that many Utah college graduates are earning less than $30,000

STUDENT DEBT MYTHS AND FACTS Third Edition August 2016 The Issue With student loan debt reaching approximately $1.3 trillion, critics are concerned that student loans may be the next financial bubble to

New Hampshire s Great Cost Shift: How Higher Education Cuts Have Fueled Student Debt And Undermined the State s Future Middle Class by robert hiltonsmith Higher education has long been our nation s primary

Putting College Costs Into Context Foreword Anyone reading the news these days knows that the price of higher education is once again the subject of widespread discussion and scrutiny. The topic is complex

STILL DOING MORE WITH LESS COMMUNITY COLLEGES CONTINUE TO CONFRONT RISING ENROLLMENTS AND ERODING BUDGETS Enrollments continue to explode as institutional budgets continue to erode according to a new national

TEXAS Suggested Citation: Institute for Research on Higher Education. (2016). College Affordability Diagnosis: Texas. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Research on Higher Education, Graduate School of Education,

FLORIDA Suggested Citation: Institute for Research on Higher Education. (2016). College Affordability Diagnosis: Florida. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Research on Higher Education, Graduate School of

RESEARCH BRIEF September 2011 Minnesota Educational Needs and Higher Education Finance Policy This is one in a series of research-based briefs prepared by the Minnesota Private College Council for members

Junior Achievement USA A Solution to the Workforce Skills Gap The Issue The health of a nation is largely influenced by the make-up of the current and future workforce. The characteristics of the workforce

187 Wagadu Volume 9 Fall 2011 NINE DECLINING FACULTY WAGE PREMIUMS: ANALYSIS OVER TIME BY GENDER IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS Frederick G. Floss i Abstract: The wage premium is the relative wage of

A NATIONAL DIALOGUE: The Secretary of Education s Commission on the Future of Higher Education ISSUE PAPER Eleventh in a series of Issue Papers released at the request of Chairman Charles Miller to inform

TENNESSEE Suggested Citation: Institute for Research on Higher Education. (2016). College Affordability Diagnosis: Tennessee. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Research on Higher Education, Graduate School

Preparing for College Parent Meeting: Financial Aid Decatur Middle School April 15, 2015 Agenda Welcome Objective Types of Financial Aid Where to Start Objective To inform parents of how funding postsecondary

Faculty Salaries: 2002 2013 By John B. Lee John B. Lee is president of JBL Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in postsecondary education policy research, located in Bethesda, Maryland. His

Three Maryland Policies to Address College Affordability Concerns: What Does the Research Say? Daniel Klasik & Caroline Titan February 2014 Over the past thirty years the cost of higher education has risen

College Loan Debt: Is It Worth It? Lesson Overview In this lesson, students compare the benefits of a college education (which is primarily increased earning capacity) with the costs of borrowing to pay

Co-located campuses: Collaboration and Duplication Governor Kasich s Charge What we heard: If college affordability continues to be a concern for Ohioans, some may choose to not to pursue a certificate

a guide to Understanding 529 Plans A 529 plan is a qualified tuition program to help finance qualified higher education expenses. Table of Contents It Pays to Save for Education...2 Education Costs Outpace

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES BOARD ACTION Fiscal Years 2010-2011 Biennial Operating Budget BACKGROUND Every other year, as part of the state s operating budget process, the

Amy Brogioli Dean Kaufman Education Law & Policy May 12, 2014 Tennessee Promise: Why Tennessee is making community colleges free and why Illinois should do the same PART I. INTRODUCTION In the United States,

OBSERVATION TD Economics SCHOOL S OUT SOFTER TREND IN U.S. HIGHER-ED ENROLLMENT TO PERSIST Highlights Student debt currently sits at $966 billion. This is the second largest outstanding liability on the

SOUTH CAROLINA Suggested Citation: Institute for Research on Higher Education. (2016). College Affordability Diagnosis: South Carolina. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Research on Higher Education, Graduate

The Importance of Higher Education to Our Economy Commissioner David Buhler Utah System of Higher Education March 20, 2014 Utah s Eight Public Colleges & Universities Research Universities University of

Understanding the Student Loan Explosion Implications for students and their families Sponsored by: Understanding the Student Loan Explosion: Implications for students and their families True wisdom is

THE CENTER FOR STATE AND LOCAL FINANCE JUNE 2015 Georgia s Ranking Among the States: Budget, Taxes, and Other Indicators IN COLLABORATION WITH ABOUT THE CENTER FOR STATE AND LOCAL FINANCE The (CSLF) mission

Visa Small Business REPORT AUGUST 0 Spend Insights Visa Small Business Spend Insights monitors the economic confidence of U.S. small business owners by analyzing Visa Business card spend data and responses

HIGHER EDUCATION + STATE OF NEW MEXICO partners for a brighter future 5 [Higher Education Serves a Growing Number of New Mexico Students Affordably and Efficiently Students recognize the value of their

A personalized, quality, affordable, higher education model to help get Wisconsin working The Flexible Degree Concept Office of Governor Scott Walker State of Wisconsin June 2012 The University of Wisconsin

1. Community Colleges: Definition and National Trends Community Colleges: Nationally 1200 community colleges 46 % of all U.S. undergraduates are enrolled in community colleges Community Colleges: Nationally

Higher Education Each year, millions of Californians pursue degrees and certificates or enroll in courses to improve their knowledge and skills at the state s higher education institutions. More are connected

Trends in Community College Education: Enrollment, Prices, Student Aid, and Debt Levels By Sandy Baum, Kathie Little, and Kathleen Payea Community colleges serve as the access point to higher education

Retrieved February 6, 2011 at http://chronicle.com/article/as-state-funds-dry- Up/126240/?sid=cc&utm_source=cc&utm_medium=en Government February 6, 2011 As State Funds Dry Up, Many Community Colleges Rely

Special Preview from the Winter 2016 Issue of The Presidency, ACE s Member Magazine FEDERAL WATCH Where Have All the Low-Income Students Gone? By Christopher J. Nellum and Terry W. Hartle Since 2008, an

GEORGIA Suggested Citation: Institute for Research on Higher Education. (2016). College Affordability Diagnosis: Georgia. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Research on Higher Education, Graduate School of

ALL ABOUT COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION New learning model offers credit for existing knowledge and skills AN INTRODUCTION TO COMPETENCY BASED EDUCATION BY 2020 35% of job openings will require at least a

COVER STORY PART 1: Access to Higher Education The Latino Ph.D. Problem: WHERE ARE THEY? Stories by Michael Gentilucci & Eric Baca Infographic design by Eric Fenny 32 May - April 2012 It s 5:45 a.m., and

How Does FIU Spend Its Money? FIU Expenditures on Faculty and Higher Level Administration in the Period from 2002-03 to 2008-09 Bruce Nissen and Yue Zhang Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy

The High Cost of Low Graduation Rates: How Much Does Dropping Out of College Really Cost? Mark Schneider Vice President AIR Lu (Michelle) Yin Researcher AIR August 2011 www.air.org Contents Executive Summary...........................................................

Volume 17, Number 3 - May 21 to July 21 An Examination of the Graduation Rates and Enrollment Trends in Industrial Technology Baccalaureate Programs from 1988-1998 By Dr. Tao C. Chang & Dr. John C. Dugger

PROFILES OF CHANGE: EMPLOYMENT, EARNINGS, AND OCCUPATIONS FROM 1990-2013 April 20, 2015 By Melissa S. Kearney, Brad Hershbein, and Elisa Jácome The Hamilton Project There has been tremendous focus in recent

8. Cost of Education 8.1 How do educational expenditures compare with expenditures for other major government sectors? The total government expenditure for the year 1995/96, the last year for which actual

State Higher Education Executive Officers Certificate Production and the Race toward Higher Degree Attainment December 2010 ----- A report from the State Higher Education Executive Officers utilizing the

1 This Getting Started Guide is your source for up-to-date information about choosing a nursing school or program. Use these tips to get organized and motivated and get going on making your dreams a reality.

WISCONSIN Suggested Citation: Institute for Research on Higher Education. (2016). College Affordability Diagnosis: Wisconsin. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Research on Higher Education, Graduate School

Spring 2015 Trends in University Finances in the New Millennium, 2000/01 2012/13 Since the turn of the 21st century, universities in Canada have undergone significant changes. Student enrolment has exploded.

CENTER ON NONPROFITS AND PHILANTHROPY The Nonprofit Sector in Brief 2014 Public Charities, Giving, and Volunteering Brice S. McKeever and Sarah L. Pettijohn October 2014 This brief highlights trends in

RENTAL HOUSING AFFORDABILITY With income growth lagging behind the persistent rise in rents, the number of renter households spending disproportionate shares of their incomes for housing hit a new high

Why should I invest in an education? Earn the degree for the career you want investing in your education may be your best career move Did you know that people who earn a bachelor s degree have nearly double

The hidden costs of intercollegiate athletics often go unscrutinized. Costs for intercollegiate athletics are rising faster than other university expenses, according to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate

PROFILE OF CHANGES IN COLORADO PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING 988-89 TO 998-99 Prepared for THE COLORADO SCHOOL FINANCE PROJECT Colorado Association of School Boards Colorado Association of School Executives Colorado

ILLINOIS FORGOTTEN MIDDLE-SKILL JOBS: 2009 AN UPDATED LOOK AT EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION PATTERNS IN ILLINOIS In September 2008, the Skills2Compete-Illinois campaign released Illinois Forgotten Middle-Skill